Folding device for a coat hanger



Jan. 16, 1968 FUKUMATsu oKAbA 3,363,868

FOLDING DEVICE FOR A COAT HANGER Filed May 16, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet l 10 v 19 1s I I *8 1 INVENTOR Jam-16, 1968 FUKUMATSU IOKADA 3,

FOLDING DEVICE FOR A COAT HANGER Filed May 16, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Filed May 16, 1966 Jan. 16 1968 FUKUMATQSU OKADA 3,36

FOLDINGDEVICE FOR A COAT HANGER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I INVENTOR Jan. 16, 1968 FUKUMATSU O-KADA 3,363,868

FOLDING DEVICE FOR A COAT HANGER Filed May 16, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheefc 4 INVENTOR orgy! Jan. 16, 1968 FUKUMATSU OKADA 3,353,868

FOLDING DEVICE FOR A COAT HANGER Filed'May 16, 1966 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR United States Patent 3,363,868 FOLDING DEVICE FOR A COAT HANGER Fukumatsu Okada, 151 4-ban, Aza-Umemorizaka, Ohaza- Ueda, Tenpaku-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Japan Filed May 16, 1966, Ser. No. 550,412 Claims priority, application Japan, July 2, 1965, 40/ 39,671 Claims. ((31. 248-317) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention is a hanger device composed of two hanger portions which are linked together. A bracket secured to a ceiling supports a pair of pivoting links which in turn are connected to the hanger portions with scissor-like links. A lever is connected to the scissor-like links so that upon swinging the lever, the hanger portions are pivoted with respect to one another.

The present invention relates to a fol-ding coat hanger device. More particularly the present invention relates to a hanger device suit-able for use in a confined storage space.

In the use of a conventional coat hanger one frequently must lean forward and extend ones hands when hanging clothes on a hanger. In the instance of wardrobes or small lockers, the hangers are often situated midway of the wardrobes depth. Thus in small lockers designed to hold only one or two suits, one experiences difliculty in hanging a coat inside the locker because it may be narrower in width than ones shoulders. With such an arrangement it is often necessary to remove the hanger from the locker, hang the coat and place the hanger back on the rack in the locker. The same number of steps must be performed when removing a coat or other garment from the hanger.

It is an object of the present invention to improve defects inherent to the conventional hanger, making it easy to hang garments quickly and easier than heretofore possible. These and other objects can be realized in accordance with the following:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation showing the hanger device in closed position;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation showing the hanger device in expanded or open position;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective, enlarged view of the es sential parts of the hanger device, parts of which are broken away;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevation illustrating the first step of hanging a coat on the hanger device;

FIGURE 5 is a front elevation illustrating the second step of hanging a coat on the device; and

FIGURE 6- is the last step illustrating the hanger device in expanded position with a coat suspended on same.

Referring to the drawings, the coat hanger itself is divided into two parts, portions 1 and 2, which are linked together at the lower parts thereof by means of spring hinge 3 biased so that the spring normally urges the hanger to closed position (FIG. 1).

Portions 1 and 2 are perforated with holes 4 and 5 and articulated scissor-like links 6 and 7 each have one of their ends connected through the holes 4 and 5. Links 6 and 7 are pivoted on pin 8 approximately midway their lengths. The other ends of the scissor-like links are connected to eyelets 11 and 12 of links 9 and A metallic bracket plate is bent to form a rectangular member 13 with the bottom thereof removed in part. One of the sides of links 9 and Ill are pivoted at the inside lower corners of bracket 13 at pivot points 19 and 20 to function as shown in the drawings.

The top of bracket 13 is fixed to an appropriate suppogt 14 which can be fixed on the ceiling 15 of a wardro e.

A hand lever 16 is perforated in the middle to receive pin 8. A knob 17 is provided at the end of the hand lever 16. The other end of lever 16 is pivoted on support 18 which can be fixed to plate 14.

The function of the hanger device is illustrated in FIGURES 4-6 of the drawings. When one pushes up the knob 17 lightly with the finger, the pin 8 is raised and at the same time eyelets 11 and 12 together with links 6 and 7 are also raised. This movement also lifts links 9 and 10 which then pivot about points 19 and 20, as seen in FIGURE 4.

The bottom ends of links 6 and 7 are opened to the left and right side at the same time, resulting in a swinging movement of hanger portions 1 and 2 so that they are pivoted about spring hinge 3 until the lower edges of portions 1 and 2 are moved adjacent one another as best shown in FIGURE 1.

When one pulls down the knob 8 will be lowered and at the same time eyelets 11 and 12 will be drawn down. Links 6 and 7 are then scissored to draw portions 1 and 2 into the position best seen in FIGURE 2. At the same time links 9 and 10 are lowered to a horizontal position.

The lower ends of links 6 and 7 approach one another 17 of lever 16, pin

and portions 1 and 2 are moved against the bias of the spring hinge 3. Thus portions 1 and 2v are opened so that hangers can again be positioned to the former state as seen in FIGURES 2, 3 and 6. Eyelets 11 and 12 of links 9 and 10 are stabilized against the spring-biased closing motion of the coat hanger portions 1 and 2 r by means of the weight of garment 21 hung on portions 1 and 2. The imaginary arc line traveled by the eyelets 11 and 12 when moved from open to closed positions approximates one-fourth of the circumference of an imaginary circle.

When eyelets 11 and 12 are placed at the down part of the arc, the eyelets travel with a lifting motion, but do not move with a substantial component horizontally, so that the horizontal direction favored by spring hinge 3, is restrained or is stabilized.

As eyelets 11 and 12 are moved in the upper part of the arc, the eyelets do not initially travel vertically, but rather more in a horizontal direction so that the horizontal direction caused by means of the spring hinge 3 works well and the hanger pieces 1 and 2 are closed efllciently. On the other hand, it is stabilized well in the closed position, resisting movement in a vertical direction due to the weight of portions 1 and 2, links 6 and 7 and lever 16.

When one pushes the knob 17 up with ones finger, portions 1 and 2 are in extreme closed position as shown in FIGURES 1 and 4. If one takes off his finger from knob 17, the hanger is stabilized in closed position. When one holds the collar of coat 21, so that pieces 1 and 2 can be inserted into the open collar as shown in FIGURE 4, portions 1 and 2 can be easily inserted into the open space of the collar and lever 16 moved downwardly so that portions 1 and 2 are opened gradually as shown in FIGURE 5. In extreme downward position of lever 16, portions 1 and 2 are completely opened inside the coat 21, and the coat is hung on the hanger as shown in FIGURE 6.

Therefore, one can put a coat or other garment into a wardrobe or take a garment out quite easily and quickly without difiiculty. The same holds true with a narrow dress locker designed for only one or two garments.

The present invention is light, convenient. Further, the

hanger device can be disassembled and put together quite easily.

What is claimed is:

1. A folding hanger device comprising two substantially equal hanger portions, said portions being linked together at their lower parts, bracket means secured to a stationary supporting ceiling, said bracket means housing a pair of spaced-apart links, said links being pivotable to a raised and a lowered position, a pair of scissorlike links pivotably connecting said spaced-apart links with the upper parts of said portions, said scissor-like links being articulated to one another by a pin, a lever connected to said pin intermediate the ends of said lever and end of said lever being fixed to substantially stationary support means while the opposite end of said lever is manually swingable.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said portions are linked together by hinge means and said hinge means is spring biased to normally urge said links in raised position.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said bracket means is rectangular in configuration and said spaced-apart links are pivotably secured to the lower corners of said bracket means.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein one end of each of said spaced-apart links is provided with an eyelet which is connected to one of said scissor-like links.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein said support means comprises a strut affixed to said ceiling.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,005,374 10/1911 Vanderveld 211--113 XR 1,104,099 7/1914 Brenner 223-94 1,676,936 7/1928 Trevino 223-94 2,6 9,575 2/ 1953 Loyot 2483 17 2,757,836 8/1956 Niedermeyer 223-94 3,188,039 6/1965 Krohn 2483 17 3,193,235 7/ 1965 Jensen 2483 17 3,270,892 9/ 1966 Dennis 211113 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,064 1/1921 Denmark.

ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

ABRAHAM FRANKEL, Assistant Examiner. 

